


haggling over the price

by havisham



Series: havisham's SASO 2017 works collection [11]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Dark, Dubious Consent, Loss of Parent(s), Love Confessions, M/M, Rentboys, Role Reversal, Slut Shaming, Sneakerheads, gone terribly wrong
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-08 18:19:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11087298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/pseuds/havisham
Summary: The sudden death of Kagami's father leaves him destitute and running out of options.(So he chooses maybe one of the worst ones.)Chapter 2: the Daiki remix #typical fuckboi nonsense





	1. already established

**Author's Note:**

> Written for SASO Bonus Round 1.5: AUs, for the [prompt](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21931.html?thread=11067819#cmt11067819): _Kagami's father dies shortly after Kagami is sent to Japan and leaves behind nothing but a mass of debt. Suddenly stuck supporting himself in a country where he has no resources, Kagami ends up hooking while still trying to juggle basketball and school._

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the A-side. Flip over for the remix.

Growing up, Taiga had never lacked for anything except proper parental supervision.

His mother had died when he was a kid and his father was -- well, his father was always away, with the firm understanding that he was away earning the money that would smooth Taiga’s way through life. When he was younger, Taiga had wished his father had worked less and stayed with him more, but eventually he grew used to the status quo.

He liked it, the comfort, the security of his father’s wealth. 

And then Taiga suffered a one-two punch when his father suddenly dropped dead at the airport and then again when it was revealed that he had been running an enormous Ponzi scheme this entire time. All his assets were frozen and there was nothing for Taiga to live on -- though thanks to one of his father’s more sensible moments, there was somewhere for him to live. (The condo had been bought outright before they had left for Tokyo, and put in Taiga’s name.) 

So, his father was dead and a thief. Taiga couldn’t put the two of these things together in his mind. His father had always been a somber man, one with sad eyes. He’d loved Taiga’s mother a lot, and had never remarried. He always told Taiga that he loved him when they talked on the phone. 

How could this same man have taken so much from people who trusted him? How could he hide so much behind the smile he used when he talked to his son? 

But besides those questions -- ones that Taiga would never be able to answer -- there was an immediate question of survival. Most of the money was tied up in US banks, and the investigation into his father’s illicit activities would take months, if not years. 

Taiga had nothing. 

At first, he tried to pretend nothing was wrong. He went to school, went to practice. Went to Maji Burger with Kuroko and bought his usual mound of burgers. His card was declined, so he used the other one. That was declined too. Finally, Kuroko, observing his rapidly reddening face, paid for his own shake and five burgers for Taiga. 

Taiga thanked Kuroko but said he didn’t have an appetite anymore and would go home. This probably shocked Kuroko more than his financial embarrassment had. 

He went home and closed the lights and crawled into bed. He had no idea what to do. He wasn’t prepared for this kind of life. He hated it, he hated his father and hated himself for being so helpless. 

Who would help him? 

*

It was Kise who gave him the idea. Most of the time, he tuned Kise out -- the ace of Kaijou was a phenomenal player and pretty good friend -- but most of his conversation ran in painfully similar lines: first, about how much he loved and was disappointed by Kuroko, second, how much he loved and disappointed his Kasamatsu-senpai, and finally, the fun quirks of his modeling job. 

Like now, he was telling a long, involved story of how an extremely wealthy widow had propositioned him, promising him fifteen thousand USD to spend one night with her -- this detail he added helpfully for Taiga’s sake, assuming correctly that it would be easier for him to understand -- just combing her hair, nothing sexual, but of course, he’d turned her down. 

“I told her, I wouldn’t go that cheaply for hours of work,” Kise said with a giggle. The rest of the table -- which consisted of Taiga and Kuroko, as well as Aomine and Momoi, stared at him with various attitudes of disbelief and annoyance. 

“People ask you to do that a lot? With that kind of money?” Taiga said finally, dipping one of Kuroko’s fries into Kuroko’s shake and popping it into his mouth. 

“Kagamicchi,” Kise said, wide-eyed, “you wouldn’t believe the things people ask me to do.” 

“Are you bragging, Kise?” Aomine said with an irritated snort. “Don't we have anything better to talk about?” 

And the conversation drifted away, after that. But as Taiga was leaving, Kise stopped him and looked at him keenly and asked him, “Why did you ask me that earlier?” 

Taiga flushed and he was about to deny everything when he gave up and sighed, his eyes trained to his feet. “I'm broke,” he muttered. “My dad didn't leave me anything besides the the condo and I need something to tide me over until the money comes in.” 

“Kagamicchi, far be it for me to be the voice of reason, but have you considered getting a job?” 

“Of course I have!” Taiga said huffily. “But with classes and practice, it's too bothersome and I'd never make enough.” 

Kise pondered this. “It's dangerous,” he said at last. “Especially if you do it on your own.” 

“I'm not going to share the money,” Taiga said flatly. 

“Well, if you're so determined…” Kise shrugged. “I don't recommend it, you know. And I'm not saying that because --” he looked Taiga up and down, his eyes sharp and assessing, “we wouldn't attract the same clientele, not really, but because I don't think you'd be right for it.” 

“Ah, Kise, but, you said--” 

“Oh, Kagamicchi, you're so naive! Why can't you just apply to Maji Burger or something?” 

*

Of course, there was an app for that. 

*

The first couple of times, Taiga couldn't do it. He canceled before he even saw the client. The third -- and what he mentally thought of as the final -- time, he actually went through to the hotel where the assignation was supposed to take place. Went to the door number he'd been told to go to and opened the door. _Please, please let them not be ugly. Please let them not be someone I know. Please, please don't let me get raped._

On the other side of the door, sitting on the bed and reading a magazine with his face on the cover, was Kise. He looked up when Taiga slid in and smiled. 

“Kagamicchi! I usually don't have to do this, you know, but I thought you could use some pointers.” Then Kise beamed, like he had just challenged Taiga for a friendly game of one-on-one. 

*

Kise’s body was crazy good and Taiga thought he’d probably want to even if circumstances were different, but it seemed like Kise wasn't so much interested in fucking as he was on lecturing Taiga on everything he'd done wrong so far. 

“First of all, why would you go to the place I suggested and set up? I could've been waiting for you with a butcher knife and a roll of tarp! The first rule is that you take out as many unknowns as you can. You control the space, you make sure you have a way to get yourself out of situation you don't want to be in. Do you understand?” 

“Of course I do,” Taiga said, scoffingly. “So what's next? Are you going to show me how to fuck?” 

“No,” Kise said with a sweet smile. “I want you to show me what _you_ can do, Kagamicchi.” 

As expected, Kise rode him hard and put him away wet. By the end of it, Taiga was seriously considering whether he ought to go to the hospital with a broken dick. Kise got up from bed and preened. 

“Not bad for an amateur, but from one professional to another, you’ve got to work on your performance.” 

“So, teach me, senpai,” Taiga said, spreading out his hands to indicate all of him (that was centered around his cock. Kise sighed and picked up his phone. 

“I don’t have time. A starry review is all you’re going to get.” 

Kise left him with enough money for the next week’s groceries. That didn’t sound like much, until one considered how much Taiga actually ate. 

*

Aomine knocked on Taiga’s door two weeks later. He had a shoebox tucked under his arm. “So I heard from Kise that you’re a whore now,” he said as soon as Taiga opened the door. He stuck his foot in between the door and the frame before Taiga could slam it closed. 

“The fuck,” he said, irritated. “I’m a paying customer.” 

“I can’t accept shoes for payment,” Taiga said, as soon as he’d pulled Aomine inside. He couldn’t have his neighbors listening in, after all. 

“These retail for fifty-five thousand yen,” Aomine said. “Look, there’s the speciality gold threading across the toes. It’s a genuine article.” 

Something about the way he stood, grinning and lazy and so fucking -- _smug_ , made Taiga snap. He pushed Aomine hard against the wall and got into his face. “You think this is fucking funny, you jackass?” he hissed. He ground against him, watching as Aomine’s eyes widened and his breath came shorter and shorter. “You think you can buy me with your bullshit? Fuck you.” 

He jacked Aomine off until he cried and came in Taiga’s hands. Taiga wiped them off on Aomine’s shirt, his eyes never leaving Aomine’s. 

*

“I’m sorry,” Aomine muttered later, when he was dressing. “I made Kise tell me.” 

“Fuck off,” Taiga said, feeling angry and empty at the same time. 

“I didn’t lie about the shoes,” Aomine said as he was leaving. “Sell ‘em and you won’t have to --” 

Taiga closed the door on his face. He kept the shoes long enough to learn that Aomine really hadn’t lied about them. 

*

He took a few clients every month. He didn’t take either Kise or Aomine’s calls anymore. When it came to playing games against them, or hanging with them in Kuroko’s company, it was the same as ever, he reminded himself. If they all acted like nothing had changed, nothing would. 

Most of his clients were boring and middle-aged and couldn’t get it up even if they tried. Some of them came explicitly because Taiga had gained a reputation for cruelty and they expected him to laugh at them. Mostly, Taiga didn’t. They were too pathetic to laugh at, and he was too. 

*

There were bad clients too. 

Despite Kise’s warning, Taiga didn’t always have time to control everything. He was careless and also sixteen and distracted almost all the time. He thought he could take the beatings fine, although it made practice awkward later. There was already rumors about him, although no one in the Seirin Basketball Club would hear a bad thing about their ace. They loved him, they trusted him. They didn’t know who he was. 

*

He met Hanamiya long before he played against him. Hanamiya was everything his reputation made him out to be, and more. He was cruel and exacting and he made Taiga _hurt._

But sometimes -- 

No, he hated Hanamiya. He paid the most, but Taiga refused most of his offers. It was usually at the end of the month, when he was running out of money that he accepted. He usually skipped school and practice after that. Coach could yell at him as much as she wanted, but it was better for everyone. 

*

Imayoshi didn’t hurt him, but he showed up the night before Seirin was set to play Touou with a knowing smirk and an envelope full of cash. 

“I’m not throwing the game,” Taiga said, as he began to close the door. But Touou’s captain was as hard to get rid of as Touou’s ace. 

“I’m not asking you to throw the game,” Imayoshi said, smiling. It was amazing. Did he ever open his eyes? “I’m just here as an ordinary admirer of your sexual talents.” 

“Fuck you --” 

“Next time,” Imayoshi said, and his eyes cracked open a little and Taiga saw little slits of grey eyes, sharp as knives. Maybe it was for the best that Imayoshi kept his eyes closed. 

*

Taiga ran through everything he had to do tonight and the day after as Imayoshi fucked him. He moaned in the right places and moved when he was supposed to, but his disaffection must’ve leached through because Imayoshi stopped halfway and glared at him. 

“I should’ve known Hanamiya was fucking with me,” he muttered, almost to himself. Then he focused on Taiga and smiled. “Well, I’ve seen what you can do, so thank you, Kagami. Let’s have a good game tomorrow.” 

“I charge double for anyone who uses Hanamiya as a referral,” Taiga said flatly. 

Imayoshi grumbled at the price, but he paid it. 

*

His father’s longtime lawyer -- and now the executor of his will -- flew from LA to see him. “Taiga,” he said as soon as they’d shaken hands seated themselves on the couch, paperwork spread out on the coffee table in front of them. “I was worried that you might have trouble with expenses when your father passed on. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to come sooner.” 

“It’ll all right, Steve. It wouldn’t have mattered if you didn’t have anything new to tell me. But you do now, don’t you?” 

“Yes,” Steve said. “The investigation’s shifted focus to one of your father’s business partners, Yonge. That means some of his accounts have been unfrozen and made available to you, his sole heir. It’s not as much as you’re used to, but it should give you a solid financial footing as you enter college. Taiga, if you don’t mind, how have you been managing so far?” 

“Oh,” Taiga said. He had been playing with a pen while Steve was speaking, but he put it down when Steve stopped. He smiled briefly and shrugged. “I guess I grew up a little bit. Got a job. Just did my best.” 

 

*

After Steve had left, a notification popped onto Taiga’s phone. He had an appointment request for later that night. His finger hovered over the accept and decline button for a moment before he hit accept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I was on the bus the other day, listening to a woman describing to her friend what her son, a sneakerhead, does to get all this money since he quit his job at the bank. Mostly going around the city, attending auctions and buying and selling sneakers. Okay, said her friend, this sounds fake but -- what kind of shoes does he sell? Jordans? 
> 
> No, said the woman. Yeezys. 
> 
> MA'AM I'M SORRY BUT YOUR SON IS DEFINITELY LYING TO YOU I wanted to yell, but I didn't know how much Yeezy sneakers actually cost. But please feel free to assume that Aomine gives Kagami a pair of gold theaded Yeezys for an angry handjob plus some crying.


	2. vicious as your tongue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the B-side. (Or _haggling over the price_ : the Daiki remix.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for the SASO 2017, Bonus Round 1.5: AUs, [prompt:](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21931.html?thread=11161771#cmt11161771): _AoKaga, Kagami's hooking on the side. Aomine takes it very badly when he finds out._
> 
> [Originally posted on SASO_afterhours](http://saso-afterhours.dreamwidth.org/10973.html).

Daiki squeezed the truth out of Kise, who squealed and whined the whole time, though he gave up almost as soon as Daiki got his hands on him. “You're so rough, Aominecchi,” he said, big fake tears welling up from his doe-like eyes. They had to be fake because Daiki hadn’t even hit him that hard. Couldn't mess up that perfect, model-ready face, after all. “Why don't you leave Kagamicchi alone?” 

“Shut up,” Daiki said shortly. “Did you put him up to this? Kagami’s not that dumb, is he?” 

Kise frowned. “I told him it was dangerous, but he needs the money. His dad died, you know.” 

“So what? He doesn't have other family or anything? What about that blonde chick with the big breasts?” 

“You're so mean. Not everyone wants to depend on other people.” 

“What else is he doing but depending on perverts?” Daiki snorted sharply. “Forget what I said -- of course Bakagami is that dumb.” 

“You should let this go,” Kise said, in a tone of voice that was far different than the whining, childish one he was just using. He sounded older, more world-weary. “What is it? You liked him and now you're upset that other people got there before you? You should realize then that you don't care for Kagamicchi at all, if that’s true.” 

“I'm going,” Daiki said, standing up and surveying the damage done to Kise’s living room. “We never had this conversation.” 

“You're the worst, Aominecchi,” Kise said, dismissing him with a vague wave of his hand. 

*

Kagami’s eyes widened when he opened the door. He tried to close it again, but Daiki stuck his foot in the door. 

“So I heard from Kise that you’re a whore now,” Daiki said, by way of a greeting. 

Things went downhill from there.

*

Daiki went home with his pride smarting and his dick aching. He hated Kagami, he decided. He wasn't a decent rival at all, just a fucking idiot who didn't know what he wanted. And ugly too, if Daiki was being honest. Who did that to their eyebrows? Yeah, definitely ugly. Daiki could do better. He deserved to, anyway. 

*

Kagami blocked his calls. Kise wouldn’t talk to him. 

Daiki told himself that he didn't care. He still went to see Kagami play, but it wasn't out of any kind of sentimentality. He was merely doing reconnaissance, watching how a monster grew. 

The next time Touou played against Seirin, he would be ready. 

*

They were both in the Zone the second after tipoff. So what if Kagami had peeled back the third layer of the Zone while Daiki was still stuck outside the inner gates? Daiki was stronger and had more experience in the Zone than Kagami. 

And more importantly, he knew ways to break Kagami without using the Zone at all. 

The two of them played a selfish game, shutting out the rest of their teammates as if they didn't exist. Even Kuroko was left on the sidelines, watching them with cautious, distrusting eyes. 

Daiki knew what he thought -- this was junior high all over again. 

He wasn't wrong. 

*

_I have to win, I have to win._

_He has to see that he's not enough for me, that I don’t need anyone else to beat him._

_*_

Touou lost by one point, a miraculous buzzer-beater made one of Seirin’s quaking first-years. Daiki had never been so angry at the outcome of a game -- he won, most of the time, after all, and even when he didn’t, he usually found something to console him. 

Not this time. 

He blew off Wakamatsu’s yelling and Momoi’s warning about catching the train and walked out of the locker room, still dripping with sweat. He didn’t really know where he was going or how he would get home -- but he didn’t want to be around his team anymore. 

He saw Kagami standing around like an idiot, talking to some guy he didn’t know. “Oi, Kagami!” Daiki shouted at him, but when Kagami caught his eye, he looked away with a roll of his eyes. 

“Don’t ignore me, you bastard!” 

The other people who had been talking to Kagami all scattered, probably concerned about getting caught up in a fight. Daiki stalked toward him and grabbed him by the arm. 

“You gonna try to pay me with shoes again?” Kagami said with a smirk. 

“Fuck you, I have money,” Daiki said, pushing him into the nearest locker room. It was empty, but he probably would have shoved Kagami against the lockers even if it hadn’t been. He stuffed a wad of cash into the pocket of Kagami’s jacket -- most of his New Year’s money was in there, his grandparents would be so proud if they knew what he was doing with it -- and let him count it up. Kagami’s mouth fell slightly open, like he didn’t know Daiki had that kind of money, the spoiled bitch. 

Daiki peeled off Kagami’s jacket off his body. This close, Daiki could feel the heat of his body, close up, smell his sweat. He leaned in and licked off the salty skin on the side of Kagami’s neck. 

“I hate you so much,” Kagami said, his voice low. He meant it, Daiki could feel how much he meant it. He pulled back so Kagami could see his mocking smile. 

“I hate you too, slut. Now get down and blow me.” 

He didn’t quite believe it when Kagami did it. He wasn’t very good at it, and there was something very perfunctory about it -- if someone could suck dick sarcastically, Kagami was doing it. Daiki shoved his dick in deeper, making Kagami choke around him. Kagami grabbed Daiki’s balls and squeezed, until Daiki came, painful and hard, over Kagami’s face. 

“Gross,” Daiki muttered, dropping a crumpled paper napkin onto Kagami’s face. “Clean yourself off. How much to do it without a condom?” 

“I don’t, ever,” Kagami said, his voice wavering slightly. He wiped his face and got up, not looking at Daiki in the eye. 

“Don’t really have a choice though, do you? I’m paying for you --” 

“So the fuck what?” Kagami said angrily. 

“So you’re _mine_ ,” Daiki growled. “To do with as I wish. That’s simple enough for even you to understand.” 

Kagami punched him in the mouth and Daiki felt blood fill up in it. He grinned and spat it out into Kagami’s face. They were fighting now, with no pretext of sex -- well, little pretext of it, anyway. Somehow, Daiki found himself on the floor with Kagami sitting on top of him, his hand around Daiki’s cock. 

“Little Dick Daiki thinks he’s so big and bad that he can shove this in my mouth and get away with it? It doesn’t work like that,” Kagami muttered, stroking Daiki’s cock back into full hardness. He sounded deranged and Daiki’s heart was thudding painfully in his chest. Kagami looked down at him, his eyes as blank and as merciless as if he was in the Zone. 

“Fuck,” Daiki muttered, almost to himself. The back of his head hit the floor with a thud and he looked up, dazed. “Fuck me, Taiga.”

“You don’t get to call me by my name,” Kagami said, raking his fingers through Daiki’s hair and pulling at it until Daiki lifted his head to stare at him. Kagami snickered. “You want to be fucked by a whore? What does that make you?”

“A loyal customer,” Daiki said, and Kagami slapped him. 

It wasn’t Daiki’s first time. His first time had been -- a long time ago, back in Teikou. But it felt like his first time, all rough and painful and so good that he wanted to scream. Kagami only gave him minimal preparation -- for his own comfort than Daiki’s, he said -- and shoved in. Daiki did scream then, he screamed Kagami’s name like it was a curse, and he bit Kagami’s hand when he closed it over Daiki’s mouth. 

Their coupling was frantic and fast, like they had both realized they were in a public space where anyone could come in at anytime. Kagami wasn’t monstrously big -- Daiki had once shared showers with Murasakibara, after all -- but he knew how to use it. It felt like there wasn’t a part of Daiki he didn’t touch, or scratch or bite at. 

Finally, Daiki had had enough. He shoved Kagami off him and tried to sit up. Kagami wasn’t having it -- animal instinct had taken him over -- and he was pushing open Daiki’s legs when he grabbed Kagami’s cock and twisted. Kagami came in his hands with a cry. Turned out that he only believed in condoms for other people, the fucker. 

“Kagami,” Daiki said, his voice dry and scratchy. 

“What?” Kagami said, sitting up too. His eyes were clearing and he seemed more like himself. 

“I like you,” Daiki muttered, not looking at him. Kagami was silent for five whole minutes. Daiki looked back at to make sure he hadn’t suffered a stroke or something. Kagami was staring at him. 

“Are you saying you did all this,” Kagami said slowly, “because you -- wanted -- to -- _confess?_ ” 

“No!” Daiki flushed hotly. 

“Well, guess what? I don’t accept your feelings. I don’t like you. I hate you more than I hate anyone else in the world.” Kagami leaned in and kissed Daiki, sucking on his lower lip like a demented vaccum. “I’m going to beat you again and again,” he said in a whisper. “Until no one’s gonna remember what made you so special in the first place.” 

Daiki shivered at Kagami’s words. 

 

*

He realized that he didn’t like Kagami after all. 

He loved him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Read the remix of this work by dw user fickle [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/24968.html?thread=16081032#cmt16081032). (AU version with fuckin' Steve.)
> 
> Read the _other_ remix of this work by dw user fickle [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/24968.html?thread=16082312#cmt16082312).


End file.
